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SONGBUILDER SOIREE

  • The Lilypad 1353 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA, 02139 (map)

The Songbuilder Soiree is a magical community music-making extravaganza.We follow a simple equation: Spotlit Songwriters + Joyously Spontaneous Audience Choir + Wildly Talented Backing Band = MAGICAL MUSICAL JOURNEY.

This event lends a structure to receive the beauty of songwriters in a more intimate, immediate, and expressive way than we do most of the time. The musical palate depends on the songwriter gracing the stage! We’ve had everything from R&B to folk, rock n roll and to sea shanties and punk rock. The band features a wonderful rhythm section with some lovely saxophone, violin, and more surprises.

This will be the 7th Soiree, the first at the Lilypad — previously hosted in living rooms & back yards around the city. Founded in 2023 by Milly Roberts and Nate Shaffer, their leadership will foster an ecstatic experience beyond your wildest expectations. sound and louder love.

Participatory Improvised Genre-hopping: songwriter/rock/folk/funk/pop — https://www.facebook.com/share/hTZyikRTEpopAb4z/ —> apparently you can’t invite a page to co-host an event unless the event is hosted by a page

 Participatory Improvised Genre-hopping: songwriter/rock/folk/funk/pop

https://www.facebook.com/share/hTZyikRTEpopAb4z/




Nate Shaffer is a multi & interdisciplinary artist & facilitator who believes music is a birthright. With deep lessons and medicine for anyone who pursues it, music is a deep teacher and spiritual experience. All his work features this devotion to sound, reverence for human nature, and fearless fire. His music is daring, vulnerable, and hops genre — classical & contemporary classical, indie folk, free jazz, funk & more.

As a facilitator, he makes learning music and creative expansion an accessible and enlivening process. A devoted teacher for more than 15 years, he has lectured at Tufts & Harvard, taught hundreds of people musical improv comedy at ImprovBoston and mentors professional and amateur musicians. Currently, he records bands, hosts retreats, facilitates monthly improvisation sessions and teaches songwriting to groups. Find out more at nateshaffer.substack.com.



Milly is a song leader, organizer and environmental educator with a passion for building power in communities through the arts. She has collaborated with a variety of artists over the years to “get off the stage and into the room,” and joined as faculty of the Dedham School of Music to bring weekly music, movement & storytelling sessions to residents of the Dedham Housing Authority.

Milly’s song leading is influenced by oral-tradition song circles, Bobby McFerrin’s CircleSinging, and years of following on the call to bring a gathering of humans into song. With 7 years as an experiential educator, Milly has a sharp awareness of building trust in newly forming groups. Her facilitation is marked by enthusiasm, a sense of group cohesion, and bringing participants to their unique brave edge.

Explore Milly's Song Leading work

Earlier Event: November 10
Isabel Stover
Later Event: November 10
Evan Fort, Cordelia Fox and Itai